Spring Equinox 2016, 1st Day Of Spring

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Spring 2016 has arrived; all you need to know about the vernal equinox - The vernal equinox arrived at 9:30 p.m. Saturday in the Pacific time zone, marking the end of winter and the beginning of spring in the northern hemisphere.

Since the seasons are opposite in the southern hemisphere, Saturday also marked the arrival of the autumnal equinox below the equator.

To answer any confusion or curiosity you might have about the vernal equinox, here is a handy Q&A to help out:

Q. Verni-what??
A. The vernal equinox is also known as the spring or March equinox.

Q. What happens at the vernal equinox?
A. The spring equinox marks the time when day and night are approximately equal in length, a phenomenon caused by the Earth having no tilt in its orientation to the sun. True east and true west are at the exact spot where the sun rises and sets. The equinox is also the time when the sun crosses the equator from south to north for the first time each year.

Q. But I thought spring started on March 21?
A. That's such yesterday thinking (or tomorrow, or something). Yes, equinoxes and solstices more commonly occur on the 20th or 21st. But because of calendar complications involving leap years, centuries and how fast the Earth spins, the equinox was earlier this year. If you want more details, Bob Berman explains it in precision in the Old Farmer's Almanac.

Q. When was the last time the vernal equinox was this early?
A. 1896

Allergy season arrived early this year, and it's packing a punch

Q. Why are some people saying Sunday is the first day of spring?
A. They are either wrong or referencing the first full day of spring.

Q. What does vernal equinox mean?
A. Vernal comes from the Latin word "ver," meaning "spring." Equinox comes from the Latin "aequus," meaning "equal," and "nox," meaning "night."

Q. Shouldn't Saturday have been the first full day of spring, since it was sunny?
A. Yes. Unless you're a scientist, then no.

Q. What cultural traditions are tied to the vernal equinox?
A. To name a couple, Nowruz, the Iranian New Year, coincides with the spring equinox, and in Japan, the spring and fall equinoxes are both national holidays, with Higan, a week of Buddhist services, being held there during the equinoxes.

Q. Isn't there a poem about spring arriving?
A. YES!